After writing off my manual Subaru in a trailer jack knife, I took an automatic Subie that would downshift to second at 80 km/h and scream the engine to something like 6000 rpm when passing.
Pulling a glider up a hill, it couldn't make up its mind which gear it should be in, and shift back and forth every 15 seconds or so.
I test drove a CVT. To get a lighter engine to obtain better mileage to satisfy the EPA, you have a higher revving engine with really low viscosity oil and wider clearances - all of which will shorten engine life. Then there's the question of how long CVTs and high tech automatics will last.
Manufacture of a new car requires an enormous amount of energy to extract, smelt, cast and forge the metal parts.
Reducing fuel consumption does not save energy if the replacement cycle is shortened.
My current manual Subaru is 16 years old with over 400,000 km.
Stuff does have to be replaced; so far $1300 this year.
I remember a Renault 5 where just about everything but the transmission had to be replaced after 120,000.
Pulling a glider up a hill, it couldn't make up its mind which gear it should be in, and shift back and forth every 15 seconds or so.
I test drove a CVT. To get a lighter engine to obtain better mileage to satisfy the EPA, you have a higher revving engine with really low viscosity oil and wider clearances - all of which will shorten engine life. Then there's the question of how long CVTs and high tech automatics will last.
Manufacture of a new car requires an enormous amount of energy to extract, smelt, cast and forge the metal parts.
Reducing fuel consumption does not save energy if the replacement cycle is shortened.
My current manual Subaru is 16 years old with over 400,000 km.
Stuff does have to be replaced; so far $1300 this year.
I remember a Renault 5 where just about everything but the transmission had to be replaced after 120,000.